Pipeline and revenue. This is your charge. You could say that marketing exists as a function to drive pipeline, and to bring in more revenue. And account-based marketing is a way to fill your pipeline with prospects who are highly likely to be ideal customers – customers who will generate more revenue and become your champions and advocates.
Last time we talked about how you can use data to identify your future customers.
In this post, we’ll show you how you can put together a multi-channel marketing strategy that will reach your prospects with a unified message that prepares them to buy. As always, if you’re ready to dive deeper into this topic, more can be found inside our new ebook.
Chapter 1: Finding the Eyes that are Looking For You: How to Identify Future Customers
Chapter 3: Coming soon!
Have you ever created a prospect list only to realize you’re not really sure the best way to use it? Or worse, has a boss handed you an incredibly expensive list, expecting you to turn that purchase into more pipeline? Strategizing your way to a big marketing win isn’t easy. In this post we’ll talk about meeting your buyers where (and when) they are.
You took the time to build a list of prospects who would be your ideal customers using data from maybe just your CRM or across multiple sources. It’s more important than ever to provide these prospects with a unified take on who you are and how your product or service can positively impact your future customers’ worlds. Messaging matters, but where you place that message will make all the difference. Do you know which channel will most effectively reach as many of your target prospects? As you think through channels, consider this:
- Prospects are active on three to four devices on average
- 72% of prospects want to engage with your brand on multiple channels
- Companies noted a 37% increase in response when using a multi-channel campaign compared to single-channel campaigns
Counting on a single medium for messaging is a bad idea. Your buyers are occupying multiple digital spaces – often several at the same time. So it’s important that selected channels need to mirror the places where our desired buyers are hanging out. And while a single channel is unwise, it’s equally unwise (and expensive!) to select every channel at your disposal.
These eight channels can be used to build campaigns inside Terminus:
Graphical ads placed on properties around the internet. Great for brand awareness.
Customized marketing messages embedded in your outgoing emails. A valid email address guarantees you an impression with every send.
More than a nice-to-have, many buyers prefer interacting with your chatbot. They want a human experience, and the best chat tools make that transition seamless.
Targeted fly-ins and modals on your website that can display particular messaging based on who is visiting.
Sponsored content on LinkedIn places your messaging precisely thanks to powerful segmentation abilities.
No, not junk mail. Because direct mail is usually done so poorly, doing it well can really impress.
Digital video ads placed in your prospect’s favorite Hulu shows.
Like radio but better, these ads are placed in podcasts our audio streaming services.
How to Build a Smart Multi-Channel Strategy
One channel isn’t enough; yet all of the channels would be too many. Here are three questions you can ask to zero in on the right mix of channels:
- Who are my prospects?
- What do they need to know?
- Where will they be when they’re most likely to listen?
By answering these questions, the ideal channels will essentially self-select. You can roll out your strategy in phases to include multiple channel launches, staggered over time. But prioritize your most-likely bets, and focus there before you expand further. This should also help you figure how much you want to spend on each channel. The more likely channels for engagement are the ones you want to drop the most cash on up front.
As you design your multi-channel experience, think about the chain of thought you’re trying to create in your prospect’s mind. Make sure you’re customizing your messaging to make the most sense within the selected channel. The banner inside your email signature should go with but not mimic the voiceover of your connected TV ad. And while one tone works great on LinkedIn, the chatbot playbooks you design for your campaign will naturally have a slightly different feel. Meeting your prospects where they are means crafting messages that work inside the medium.
Crawl Before You Walk
If you don’t have experience building multi-channel campaigns, we know that it’s difficult to go from zero to a hundred. Inside this ebook, you can see examples of how to “crawl, walk, or run” with your ABM strategy. Let’s preview the first strategy.
CRAWL: ABM Implementation and Proving Value
For Tier 1 ABM implementation, you’ll need the following tools. All of these tools should already be in your tech stack, or are low-cost options to get started with.
Tier 1 Implementation Tools:
- Your CRM
- LinkedIn Sponsored Content
- Google Analytics
- Email Signature Banners
- Terminus Data Studio
- Terminus Measurement Studio
Who to Target:
Start small! Take time to identify your ideal customer profile (ICP) with a list of 50-100 target accounts that you want to focus on. For this first campaign, it’s important to make sure these accounts are likely to buy going in. You can glean this from that intent data mentioned in my first post. Choose accounts that are likely to convert. And choose accounts that you want to have as customers. If you’re new to ABM, and especially if you’re trying to prove the value of ABM to your boss, you can make a big splash by bringing in more of your ideal customers.
Channel Tip #1: Terminus Email Experiences
Let’s get personal. Use Terminus Email Experiences to usher high-priority accounts through the sales funnel with each email sent by anyone on your team. As an added bonus, start the relationship off on the right foot with a 1:1 targeted email signature banner for each account on your tier 1 list.
Channel Tip #2: LinkedIn Sponsored Content
Utilize the segmenting power of LinkedIn Sponsored Content and create an ad that’s going to capture the attention of this specific segment. Make sure to design a campaign theme that will carry over to your email signature banners.
See? It’s not so hard to create a simple, unified multi-channel campaign to reach your prospects where they are. Once you’ve reached them, all that’s left is to engage them with content that helps them achieve their goals, and alleviate their pain with your offering. As always, advanced strategies, success stories, and more examples are in the ebook. Click below now to download your copy.
